Kitchen Roofs & Exploding Televisions
by TurquoiseMonkey
Summary: As with every class there was an oddball, a scrawny little boy with jet black scruffy hair covering a lightening shaped scar and a uniform that was several sizes two big. Harry Potter sat at the back of the classroom on a table by himself often staring dreamily out the window at the playing fields beyond.
1. Chapter 1

Autumn 1988

Jennifer Halfpenny was twenty three years old when she bought her first house with her new husband Michael. Number Eight Magnolia Crescent was a small house with three bedrooms with a small front garden and a pond in the back garden where the previous owners had left a couple of friendly looking gnomes. It took a while for Michael and Jennifer to get used to the extra space and garden after several years of living in halls of residence and shared flats but they soon learned to revel in it.

The little house was perfectly situated, close to shops, a library and on a regular bus route to the centre of Little Whinging where Michael's practice was located. Jennifer was also thankful that it just happened to be on the other side of town from Mr and Mrs Halfpenny, Michael's well-meaning but often interfering parents.

Handily it was also fifteen minutes' walk away from St Grogory's Primary School where Jennifer started work teaching Year 4 in September.

"Year 4 is easy enough" Headmistress Roemmele told her on her first day "Not too young that you'll spend half your time mopping tears and vomit and not old enough that you have to worry about exam results"

"You'll be taking 4G, there are a few boisterous ones in there like any class but nothing you can't handle I'm sure" and with a hearty clap on the back Cecilia Roemmele left her to it.

Her teacher training and fellow colleagues had taught her that there were certain types of children in each class and sure enough over the first few weeks Jennifer was able to spot that Class 4G had all the usual suspects.

Amanda Stevens, a blonde girl with pigtails was easily the brightest always with her hand in the air, Ibrahim Masood was the comedian amusing his classmates (and secretly Jennifer) with funny impressions of Mrs Roemmele and the ex-army teacher Mr Barrington.

Judy Jenkins was a very inquisitive girl if not slightly annoying, always questioning why they had to learn the six times table and what proof Jennifer had that the Earth did in fact go round the sun. Gordon Stoles meanwhile seemed more interested in eating his workbook than writing in it.

As with every class there was an oddball, a scrawny little boy with jet black scruffy hair covering a lightening shaped scar and a uniform that was several sizes two big, Harry Potter sat at the back of the classroom on a table by himself often staring dreamily out the window at the playing fields beyond. He was a very polite if quiet boy, it was such a shame really that he wasn't particularly bright.

"Harry" Jennifer called one day catching the boy watching Mr Barrington's Year Sixes playing football outside "What do you think the answer is?"  
She nodded to the half-finished long multiplication problem on the board and Harry squinted slightly "Um, three"

The class laughed and Jennifer struggled to contain a small smile "No Harry, I'm afraid sixty four multiplied by twelve is not three, anyone else have any guesses"

Amanda immediately shot up her hand

"Yes Amanda… Dudley stop that this instant"

Rounding off the class stereotypes was Dudley Dursley a large round boy who along with his best friend Piers Polkiss and several other boys bullied the rest of Year 4. Their favourite target in particular was Harry Potter who Dudley was currently throwing balled pieces of paper at.

"Sorry Mrs Halfpenny" Dudley said not sounding sorry at all.

Dudley was an exceptionally stupid boy but to be honest Jennifer was more concerned with Harry's performance. This may have been because she simply felt sorry for the poor boy who seemed to have no friends yet was always polite to her whereas Dudley spent most of her lessons taking up her time by misbehaving. It may also have been that Dudley was stupid because he simply messed around in lessons whilst little Harry seemed to work quite hard but was worrying far behind in both English and Maths.

Voicing her concerns to the boy's Year 3 teacher Ms Hardcastle, a withered old battle-axe who for some reason believed Potter to be a deranged lunatic did not help matters.

"His aunt explained the whole thing" Ms Hardcastle said one lunchtime in the staffroom after telling Jennifer a ludicrous story where Harry had turned her wig blue. Jennifer was privately convinced it must have been Ibrahim up to his usual tricks and with batty old Ms Hardcastle for a teacher she was not sure she could blame him. "He's not right in the head, never has been. She told me not to bother, not much can be done"

Jennifer was shocked to hear such a cold interest in the boy's welfare "His aunt told you, what about his parents?"

"Cecilia didn't tell you?" Ms Hardcastle questioned "Potter doesn't have parents; they died in a car crash years ago. He lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin now."

"How awful" Jennifer said feeling a stab of sympathy for Harry, no wonder he was always staring mistily out of the window

"That's why he's all…" Ms Hardcastle whispered making a loopy motion with her hand "Luckily for the Dursleys, Dudley turned out all right"

Jennifer raised her eyebrows in surprise and put aside the notion that Dudley Dursley had turned out all right to one side for one moment "Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley are _cousins_"

Ms Hardcastle nodded furiously "Never have guessed it would you? There could not be two boys more different"

Sure enough at the end of the school day Jennifer spotted a tall bony woman with a neck life a giraffe smothering an embarassed Dudley Dursley with kisses in the playground whilst Harry Potter stood off to one side looking on awkwardly. Mrs Dursley said some cursory words to Harry before grabbing Dudley's hand and escorting him across the road in front of the school with Harry jogging behind.

Jennifer observed Harry over the next few weeks and noticed he was also a little clumsy. Once or twice he bumped into a table on his way into class and several times had been hit in the face with a ball during P.E. much to the laughter of the rest of the class. By November she had formed an idea.

"Harry can you come stay behind for a moment" Jennifer called as the class filed out for afternoon play.

Jennifer sat down on one of the little chairs by Harry's table; the boy looked quite nervous and avoided Jennifer's eyes "Harry I've noticed that you've had some trouble reading as well as with your other work"

"I'm sorry, I do try" Harry insisted looking incredibly small and guilty

Jennifer felt her heart break a little "Oh Harry, it's not your fault I know you try hard, I was wondering if you could help me with a little theory I've come up with"  
Harry looked a little more relieved and nodded

"How to the words look to you on the page?" Jennifer asked and leaned to pick up a copy of _Hoppy the Happy Rabbit_ from the nearby bookshelf and opened it in front of Harry "Can you see the lines of the letters clearly or are they blurry?"  
Harry squinted at the first page "I…uh suppose they are kind of fuzzy"

Jennifer thought so and pointed at out the window where the rest of the school was at play "Can you tell me who's on the swings with Judy"

Harry's eyes scrunched up as he strained to see "Is it uh… Piers?" he asked hazarding a guest

Jennifer hid a smile "Not quite, it's Amanda"

Harry went bright red with embarrassment

"Harry when was the last time you went to the opticians"

Harry was silent for a moment and once again he looked as though he had done something wrong "I don't think I've ever been"  
Jennifer frowned shocked that the boy's aunt and uncle had neglected such an important part of the boy's health especially as their nephew seemed to have such bad sight problems. "OK Harry you can go out to play now"

Harry looked distinctly relieved and rushed to leave the classroom almost tripping over his oversized trousers on the way out.

Jennifer had the chance to speak about her concerns to the Dursleys the next day at parent's evening. Whilst Harry took after his aunt's side of the family in terms of skinniness Mr Dursley was pound for pound an adult size replica of his son. Almost as wide as he was tall and with a very red face that almost looked like it was being strangled by his black and grey striped tie Mr Dursley cut a very imposing figure marching into her classroom with an air of disdain. Jennifer thought it was lucky she had had the foresight to bring in some adult chairs from the staffroom as she was certain Mr Dursley would have broken any of the smaller chairs in her classroom.

Mr and Mrs Dursley it turned out were under the impression that Dudley walked on water and seemed impervious to Jennifer's suggestions that his work wasn't really up to standard "What do I want a swot for a son for?" Mr Dursley boomed.

When she had brought up Dudley's bullying Mr Dursley merely chuckled heartily "Boys will be boys, the little tyke"

Conscious that she had only allotted a certain amount of time for each set of parents and the Masoods were already outside Jennifer moved onto Harry who Mr and Mrs Dursley seemed markedly less interested in, as Jennifer showed them Harry's painting of the solar system, Mr Dursley tapped his foot impatiently whilst his wife kept checking her watch. She became increasingly annoyed as she explained the difficulties Harry was having in English and Maths and the couple shared knowing smirks as though they were pleased he wasn't doing well.

"However I think the route of these problems is probably his eyesight which seems to be below average" Jennifer went on to say "Harry tells me he's never been to the opticians before"

Jennifer didn't realise until she had said this last part how accusatory it may have sounded until Mr Dursley went very red and angry

"Has he now?" he boomed "And just what other tales has Potter been telling you?"

"Harry hasn't been telling tales" Jennifer rushed to reassure them "I just meant it might be an idea to get him tested for glasses, I think they could make the world of difference in his schoolwork. My husband has a practice on Church Street or if you already…"

"Ho ho so that's what this is all about" Mr Dursley sneered "You get us in here on the pretence of Dudley's education and before we know it you're trying to bleed us dry"

"Disgraceful" Mrs Dursley muttered in agreement

Jennifer was horrified "I can assure you Mr Dursley that it simply not the case I am simply speaking in regards to Harry's welfare. There are many reputable opticians you can use and surely you know the NHS will pay for any treatment Harry needs given his age. Money is no issue here."  
This if anything made Mr Dursley more angry "And what make you think money is an issue?" he boomed swelling to almost twice his size and Jennifer noted that with his bushy moustache he looked remarkably like a walrus "What has that boy told you?"

"Nothing absolutely nothing" Jennifer insisted quickly, worried about how her words would affect Harry and shocked at the behaviour of this strange man "Look I wasn't trying to insinuate anything it's just that I've noticed Harry's uniform is second hand. It's really nothing to be ashamed of you know, have you ever been to one of our jumble sales, a lot of families get surprising good quality uniforms there"

This was the wrong thing to say.

Mr Dursley swelled up and went so red he now resembled a scarlet hot air balloon. He seethed and spluttered, spraying spit everywhere, so angry he could barely get the words out "How dare…never in my…mark…"

"I'll have you know my husband is the director of a very successful drill manufacturer" Mrs Dursley sneered with absolute derision at Jennifer "We live extremely comfortably and judging by your cardigan much better than _you. _Come along Vernon."

What was wrong with her cardigan?

"Mark my words" Mr Dursley said through gritted teeth as they got up to leave "We will be discussing this with the headmistress"

The Dursleys stormed out of the classroom shutting the door so forcefully it banged back and forth several times. Oh dear Jennifer worried what would the Headmistress say, would she get the sack? She also had a very nasty feeling that the Dursleys were going to take out her lack of diplomacy on poor Harry when they got home.

"Mrs Halfpenny?" Mr Masood said tentatively sticking his head round the door "Um…do you have time to talk about Ibrahim now?"

Headmistress Roemmele gave her a two hour lecture on how to deal with difficult parents and fortunately chalked up the incident to Jennifer's relative inexperience.

"What you have to remember Jennifer" Mrs Roemmele told her "Is that they usually know their child a lot better than you do"

"We also have to be careful because Mr Dursley seems like the type to complain to the Governors in future and that looks very bad for the school."

When he heard the story Michael was of course aghast at the Dursley's attitude towards their nephew "Do you know what could happen if he has a serious eye condition and it is left unchecked?"

Jennifer did in fact know mostly because she had helped Michael revise for that part of his exams and was sorely tempted to agree with Michael's estimation that the Dursleys were incredibly neglectful guardians.

The rest of Parent's Evening passed with relatively little drama elsewhere. Unlike Ms Hardcastle however Jennifer at least hadn't needed to play referee to the newly separated Wilkinsons who spent their entire appointment sniping at each other before Mrs Wilkinson snapped and dumped a tank full of frogspawn over her soon to be ex-husband as well as Ms Hardcastle.

November grew colder and bitterer and soon it was December and the children grew wild with excitement in anticipation for Christmas. Jennifer made sure to hand out Christmas cards and chocolates to all of her class and managed to prevent Dudley from stealing the other children's chocolate after he had stuffed his face with his own. She was delighted to receive cards from quite a few of her students including a very nice handmade card with a robin on the front from Harry.

Michael brought home a Christmas tree and they spent a lazy Saturday decorating the house with baubles, paper streamers and tinsel. There was the usual bout of Christmas parties; the one at Michael's practice was really just drinks at _The Crown_ due to Michael's practice consisting of himself, a more experienced optician Dr Singh and their receptionist Mrs Philips.

Ms Hardcastle's Year 3 class put on a nativity show to mark the end of term and soon it was the Christmas holidays and Jennifer was braving the packed shops of Little Whinging to buy presents for friends and family. She congratulated herself on discovering a bottle of fine wine for her Uncle Glen and a china cat ornament for her mother-in-law one Friday morning thus completing all her Christmas shopping with one week to go until the big day itself. Making her way to the bus stop she encountered a familiar face looking nervously around outside Marks & Spencer

"Harry, everything ok?" she asked approaching him. Harry looked distinctly relieved and explained that he had come shopping with his aunt and cousin and gotten lost.  
"Well where did you last see them?"

"Aunt Petunia told me to wait by the socks whilst she took Dudley to try on shirts, I waited and waited and then when I went to look for them I couldn't find them" Harry said nervously

Jennifer sighed "You probably crossed paths, come on I'll take you to look for them"

She lead Harry back into the shop and they made their way over to the changing room "Your aunt is probably worried sick" she said on their journey through the packed shop. Harry looked at her with a startling amount of scepticism for an eight year old and Jennifer was reluctant to admit he was likely right.

Dudley and Mrs Dursley were not by the jumpers or the changing rooms so Jennifer searched out the shop manager who took them to his office where he made an announcement over the telecom that Harry Potter's aunt should collect him at the help desk. They waited 45 minutes before it became clear that Mrs Dursley had forgotten Harry.

The shop manager suggested contacting the police but Harry spoke up insisting it was unnecessary and he didn't want to make a fuss

"You live in Privet Drive don't you Harry?" Jennifer asked

Harry nodded "Number four"

"Well that's not far from when I live, how about I drop you off there on my way home" This was an acceptable solution to both the shop manager and Harry so she and Harry headed off to the Bus stop. As they were heading out of the shop Harry bumped into one of the glass doors whilst trying to get out.

Honestly this was getting ridiculous; checking her watch Jennifer asked Harry if he would mind taking a little detour and Harry who didn't seem in a particular hurry agreed. Making her way along the High Street she showed Harry into the pristine white and impeccably clean _Bright Sight Opticians_. The walls were covered with spectacles of all different shapes and sizes on display alongside mirrors and arty black and white photos of beautiful people modelling the glasses.

A large uncomfortable looking black leather sofa stood opposite the receptionist's desk where old Mrs Philips sat eating her chicken and lettuce sandwiches.

"I'm sorry we're closed for lunch" Mrs Philips called before looking up to see Jennifer and Harry "Oh hello dear, have you been Christmas shopping"  
"Yes I've got all the presents now, I just have to go home and wrap them"  
"Oh you're so organised dear, I'm sure I'll be out fighting the masses for the last bath salts on Christmas Eve" Mrs Philips chuckled and then peering over her glasses she noticed Harry "And who's this young man then?"  
"This is Harry Potter, one of my students" Jennifer explained "Is Michael free?"  
Mrs Philips told her he was in the Examination room with his cold pasta.

"Well this is a surprise"

"Harry this is my husband Michael Halfpenny" Jennifer introduced them after she had pecked Michael hello "Michael this is one of my students Harry Potter"

Jennifer gave her husband a meaningful look and he registered that this was the boy with the poor eyesight and neglectful aunt and uncle.

"Could you just take a quick look at him?" she whispered

"Jenny" Michael sighed "You know I can't do that not without his guardian's permission, where are his guardians anyway?"

"Heaven knows" Jennifer rolled her eyes "His aunt forgot him in Marks & Spencer. Come on Michael can't you bend the rules just this once, you said yourself he could have all sorts of viruses or infections"

Harry who had been hovering nearby pretending to look at Michael's fish tank stopped stared at the couple in alarm before quickly realising he shouldn't be eavesdropping and went back to staring hard a particularly sluggish water snail.

Michael glanced down at the eight year old in an oversized jumper that went down past his knees and then back at his wife who fluttered her eyelids pleadingly.

"Alright Harry, pop on the red chair let's take a look at you" he relented

Michael then asked Harry to read all the letters he could from a chart opposite and looked in Harry's eyes every so often with a variety of different instruments. He wrote down some quick notes as he worked before getting Harry to try reading some small print close up. Then he got a pair of very funny looking glasses with interchangeable lenses and told a wary looking Harry to try them on.

Harry gasped out loud at the difference, he held up his hand to see it through the lenses and then pulled them to the tip of his nose to see with and without them at the same time.  
"Not so fast Harry" Michael chuckled, he then proceeded to get out a series of different lenses and change them with the ones in the glasses asking Harry along the way which were the best and most comfortable

"Do I have an infection then?" Harry asked boldly once Michael had finished and ask Harry to take off the special glasses.

"No not at all Harry your eyes are perfectly healthy" Michael said smiling "They are a little weak however so it's probably advisable for you to wear glasses from now on so you'll be able to read better and possibly not bump into so many tables"

Harry looked very happy at that and Jennifer saw him grin for the first time since she had known him.

"Now all you need to do is get your aunt and uncle to come in here with you and we'll prescribe you with your very own set of glasses"

Harry's face fell instantly and looking earnestly at Jennifer she could tell what he was thinking.

"Michael is there any way we could do this without them" Jennifer implored before explaining delicately "Harry's aunt and uncle, well they are not the most understanding of guardians"

Harry nodded vigorously

"I'm sure if you just explained the situation that you really needed these glasses for school Harry" Michael said "I mean they must under…"

"They won't" Harry interrupted "they wouldn't care if my eyes fell out as long as it didn't make a mess on the carpet"

"Well I'm sure that's not true" Michael said in what he obviously thought was a reassuring tone but noticing his wife's expression "let me see what I can do"

He went to the back of the room with the notes he had made and pulled open several drawers before he found the right set of black glasses with round rims.

"Here" he said handing them to Harry with a grim expression "I'll do a bit of creative paperwork and mind you don't break them"

Harry smiled and put the spectacles on keenly. As they left the shop Harry looked eagerly around the High Street savouring the clear sights and visions before him, it was as though he was looking through a magnifying glass. As Jennifer led him to the bus stop where they caught the No. 465 he kept taking them off and putting them back on again to marvel at the difference.

"I really think those glasses will make a difference Harry" Jennifer said on the way home "You're a bright boy and you should find school much easier now"  
Harry's face dropped as though he had just thought of something "What am I going to tell Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia?" he asked her nervously

"You leave them to me; I'm sure once they see how much the glasses help you they'll understand"

Harry didn't look convinced. Soon they reached their stop and walked the rest of the way to Number Four, Privet Drive. As fortune would have it Mrs Dursley was entertaining a guest when they arrived at the door and was unable to do anything but lightly scold Harry for running off and thank Jennifer for bringing him home. However she noticed Mrs Dursley twitch when her friend Yvonne complimented Harry on his new glasses and she seemed to biting her lip as though there was a lot she wanted to say but felt that she shouldn't in polite company.

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	2. Chapter 2

Winter 1988/89

Christmas came and went, Michael's mother mentioned that perhaps the turkey was 'a little overdone' and Jennifer's Uncle Glen got stinking drunk and passed out for most of Boxing Day. Michael and Jennifer enjoyed the gentle lull between Christmas and New Year's when neither were working and they could just lay around the house watching the old films that filled the television schedule this time of year.

On the night before New Year' Eve a light snowfall covered Magnolia Crescent in a pretty white frosting. The normally conventional street with its identical newly built houses looked almost enchanted Jennifer mused as she looked out the front window washing up the lunch things. Presently a tiny single solitary figure shuffled its way round the close amusing itself by hopping into the larger footprints made earlier in the snow by Magnolia Crescent's residents.

"Harry" Jennifer called opening the front door drying her hands on a tea towel

"Hello Mrs Halfpenny" Harry said smiling looking up at her from a few paces away on the pavement

"Everything ok, you're not lost again are you?" Jennifer joked as they were only about a five minute walk away from the Dursley's house.

"No I just fancied a walk"

"You just fancied a walk" Jennifer repeated wondering how many eight year old boys took walks by themselves during the Christmas holidays on a snowy day

Harry walked closer, abandoning his previous game, into the Halfpenny's front garden "Aunt Petunia's cleaning for their New Year's Eve party tonight; she didn't want me getting in the way"

"She kicked you out of the house" Jennifer said slightly alarmed

Harry shrugged or at least she thought he did it was rather difficult to tell with the oversized coat he was wearing which she was sure at some point must have belonged to Dudley "I don't mind, I like being on my own"

Jennifer sighed, an eight year old boy was not supposed to prefer wandering about in the cold on his own to being inside the family home or building a snowman with his friends. But then Harry didn't really have any friends, Judy Jenkins had sat with him once in September but quickly left after she had been caught in the crossfire of Dudley chucking wet paper mache at his cousin.

"I'm about to make some hot chocolate" Jennifer told him "Would you like some?"

Harry nodded eagerly and she invited him inside. Jennifer heaped several teaspoons of cocoa into two mugs as she boiled some milk on the stove. Harry looked around the kitchen curiously, it wasn't as clean as Jennifer would have liked and she was a little ashamed of the empty Chinese takeaway boxes that lay on the side after she and Michael had decided they were just too lazy to cook last night.

"You can sit down Harry" Jennifer chuckled as the milk began to boil. Harry who was hovering by the door shrugged off his large coat and sat down at the kitchen tables.

She poured the hot milk into the mugs, stirring them and sat down across from Harry handing him Michael's University of Reading mug. Harry sniffed the chocolate vapours excitedly before taking a large gulp. He instantly recoiled his face contorting as he opened his mouth panting to cool down his scolded mouth.  
"It's a little hot" Jennifer giggled stirring her own drink "It's usually a good idea to let it cool for a while or take smaller sips"

She dipped her teaspoon into the chocolaty swirl and brought it up to her lips to take a sip, Harry copied her.  
"Sorry I've never had hot chocolate before" Harry explained

"That's ok" Jennifer said "How are you getting on with your new glasses?"

"Dudley keeps calling me four eyes"

"Oh"

"But then I just called him pig eyed back. Can I have a biscuit please?" Harry asked cheerfully

Jennifer pushed the plate of Hob Nobs towards him "You know maybe if you just tried talking to Dudley, you might find you have a lot in common"

Harry looked incredibly puzzled by this "Like what?"

"Well…err" Jennifer started trying to think of something "The point is he's your cousin, you can't go around hating him for the rest of your life and you have to be the bigger person"

"I do?"  
"Yes, don't you think if you just asked to play football with him in the back garden one day you might end up have a nice time" Jennifer suggested

"Yeah but then he'd stick my head down the toilet" Harry said casually

Jennifer could see she'd talked herself into a corner, maybe it was a bit much to expect eight year old boys to sit down and talk about their differences. So Harry told her about his Christmas and how his unpleasant Aunt Marge had come to visit bringing three of her vicious bulldogs and she cheered him up by describing how her Uncle Glen had fallen face first into the Christmas pudding.

"Speaking of which I need to make a cake for lunch with the in laws tomorrow, would you like to help me"

Harry agreed readily and together they spent a nice afternoon baking a TV chef's recipe for chocolate cake. Jennifer let Harry lick the bowl after they had finished and the wafting aromas from the baking cake attracted Michael from upstairs where he had been assembling a new wardrobe they had bought in the sales.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for him to be here?" Michael muttered to his wife by the counter as she made him a well-earned cup of tea. "I mean you said his guardians are difficult, they might make things problematic at school for you"

"Oh they won't care" Jennifer whispered confident in her assessment of the Dursleys "His aunt threw him out for the afternoon, as long as it doesn't require effort on their part they are completely indifferent to Harry"

However she noticed the clock on the wall was approaching four and so she took a very reluctant Harry home.

"Thank you for having me Mrs Halfpenny" Harry said as she dropped him off in Privet Drive just outside his house

Jennifer smiled "That's no problem Harry, just remember if ever things get difficult here you are always welcome in Magnolia Crescent"

Harry beamed at her words and said goodbye before dragging his feet walking into Number Four.

Jennifer and Michael spent New Year's Eve with some old University friends in Woking and then struggled through lunch at Michael's parents the next day managing to hide their hangovers.

School soon started again and Jennifer was pleased to see a marked difference in Harry's school work as a result of his new eyewear. He was still reluctant to answer questions but at least he could read the board now. She had realised sometime in October that Harry wasn't as lacking in brains as she had previously thought. True he would never be as smart as say Amanda Stevens but he was bright and the only student in her class who seemed to grasp why the massively outnumbered organised Roman army had defeated Boudicca and her hoards of untrained warriors.

She also noticed in P.E. and playtime that with his new glasses he suddenly had very good coordination and instincts and very quickly began to excel at football and the other ball sports they played during P.E. This however came to an abrupt halt one lunchtime when Harry was playing opposite Dudley and his friends and scored the winning goal.

"He cheated" Dudley shouted loudly "He fouled Piers, kicked him in the leg"

Dudley glared at Piers Polkiss who automatically grabbed his right shin and started to moan in pain poorly disguising a smirk.

"Right Polkiss let's have a look at that leg" Mr Barrington said gruffly overhearing the argument and he and Jennifer inspected the nine year old's shin which unsurprisingly looked perfectly fine but nevertheless Jennifer felt obliged to take him to the nurse's office.

This coupled with Ibrahim's dunking in the fish tank when he dared to pick Harry first for rounder's effectively meant an end for Harry's athletic career at St Grogory's as soon nobody wanted to play with him. February did however give the chance to show off his prowess if in a slightly unconventional way.

Jennifer was supervising playtime with Ms Hardcastle with whom she was gossiping on whether or not Mr Barrington was secretly seeing one of the lunch ladies.

There was a shout of "Oi get back here" and Jennifer and Ms Hardcastle turned to see Harry being chased by Dudley and his gang. Harry ran deftly in between the two teachers as the larger boys knocked into them in their pursuit.

"Excuse me just what do you think you are doing?" Ms Hardcastle shrieked after their retreating backs. She and Jennifer shared an exasperated look and jogged after them.

They ran round the other side of building to the canteen and school kitchens

"You're not allowed round here" Jennifer called, the excitement had attracted a number of followers but the boys in the chase ignored her. Harry was heading for the playing fields when he was suddenly confronted by Piers and a large Year 5 boy named Leonard who must have run round the other side of the school to cut him off. Panicking Harry ran into the alcove that sheltered the school bins.

He was trapped.

Then something so incredible happened that Jennifer wouldn't have believed it unless she'd seen it with her own eyes. One moment Harry was staring at the brick wall of the school kitchen the next he was teetering on the roof. The crowd gasped and her heart leapt.  
"Holy…" Ms Hardcastle said a word that definitely should not have been uttered in front of primary school children "…Christ"

"What should we do?" Jennifer whispered in awe

"No idea" Ms Hardcastle shrugged "Call the fire brigade"

Jennifer rolled her eyes "He's not a cat. Harry" she called up to the boy "Are you ok?"

Harry nodded

"Just remain calm, we're going to get you down soon"

She asked a nearby Amanda and Judy to run and get the caretaker Mr Higgens "And tell him to bring a ladder"

By now most of the school had gathered round the back of the kitchens to stare up at Harry, students quickly started furiously gossiping.  
"Wicked! Go Harry!" Ibrahim shouted

"Did he fly up there?" a younger student asked her friend

"Don't know" the friend answered and then started jumping on the spot as though he too would suddenly shoot up in the air.

Jennifer decided that the spectacle wasn't helping matters and so she and Ms Hardcastle attempted to clear the students into the main playground. This was quickly abandoned as Mr Barrington turned up demanding to see what the fuss was all about and Mr Higgens arrived with his ladder.

"I told you, didn't I tell you? Not right in the head that one" Ms Hardcastle whispered afterwards as they hovered outside the headmistress's office where she was speaking to Harry and the Dursleys.

"Don't be ridiculous" Jennifer snapped "There's nothing wrong with Harry and even if there was mental illness does not allow you to fly twenty feet in the air"

"Well then what's your theory" Hardcastle whispered waspishly

Jennifer hesitated; truly she had no idea as to the reason behind the strange event. Speaking to the headmistress earlier in front of Harry the best she could come up with was that the wind had somehow caught him mid jump. This theory was of course nonsensical and completely in contrast to what Jennifer had seen with her own eyes, Headmistress Roemmele had quickly dismissed it and decided that Harry had climbed up there.

This went against about twenty eye witness statements but it was the only idea that made any sense.

Harry himself didn't seem particularly shook up by the event. Jennifer had shocked the poor boy by hugging him as soon as he climbed down Mr Higgen's ladder.  
_"Are you ok?" she had asked worriedly kneeling down to his eye level_

"_Yeah I'm fine" Harry said calmly before asking "What was that?" _

"_Don't you know?"_

"_No I just felt really sick like something was yanking at my insides and then I was on the roof"_

"I have no idea" Jennifer confided in Ms Hardcastle "But something strange is going on"

The Headmistress' door opened and Mr Dursley could be heard shouted loudly at his nephew as he and his wife left the school. Harry looked rapidly back at Jennifer as he trailed behind his aunt and uncle and Jennifer reflected sadly that he looked more scared now than he did on the kitchen roof.

The end of March brought warmer weather as spring bloomed into full force. Suddenly daffodils were everywhere you looked and the previously barren trees burst into lush pink blossom. Jennifer took the opportunity to work on the front garden which had been neglected during the winter, planting new bulbs and pulling out weeds that had sprung up. Once or twice on a Saturday afternoon Harry would wander by bored from being ignored and insulted at home and assisted her for an hour or two in her gardening.

Jennifer rewarded him afterwards with a glass of lemonade and slice of chocolate cake and it soon Harry became a regular visitor to the Halfpenny household on Saturday afternoons. Michael was hesitant at first concerned that this would backfire on Jennifer and that proper boundaries must be maintained but seemed to change his mind when Harry assisted him in building a model of HMS Beagle.

"Now this was the ship that Darwin travelled on when he made all his famous discoveries" Michael explained to Harry showing him where to attach the glue "You'll know all about Darwin won't you?"

"Erm…no" Harry hesitated

"Good lord what are they teaching you at that school?" Michael joked looking over at his wife who was watching from the door of the dining room fondly as Michael began to explain evolution to the bewildered eight year old.

Jennifer was becoming uncomfortably aware that she and her husband were becoming too attached to a boy who next year wouldn't even be in her class and had his own family. A family who for the most part neglected him beyond belief and who answered the door every Saturday at half past five with a dispassionate "Oh it's you."

Things came to a head one stormy May Sunday evening. Michael and Jennifer were cuddled up on the sofa after dinner watching some costume drama on the telly as the rain pounded at the window panes.

"It's getting heavy out there" Michael murmured and a roll up thunder clapped overhead

"Good thing we're in here then" Jennifer smiled up at her husband snuggling further into his warm embrace.

The Victorian heroine had just refused her first proposal when the doorbell rang. Jennifer and Michael looked at each other "Who on earth could that be?"

"No idea" Michael answered and got up to open the door. Jennifer was just wondering if it was her mother in law checking whether Jennifer had taken on board her suggestions on how to improve her ironing when Michael re-entered the living room followed by a dripping shivering Harry Potter. He was as white as a sheet and drenched from head to toe as though Michael had just pulled him from drowning in the sea. His glasses were broken in the middle and hung from each ear and there was a large bruise developing on his right cheek.

"Harry" she gasped standing up instantly "Wha…what on earth happened?"

"I'm sorry I didn't know where else to go" the dishevelled boy said meekly

"That's quite alright" Michael said reassuringly "Sit down and tell us what happened" Michael reached for the remote and turned off the television whilst Harry sat next to Jennifer on the sofa.

After a pause Harry said "I made the television explode"

Jennifer and Michael stared at each other not really comprehending what he was saying "I'm sorry what?" Michael asked dumbfounded

"I didn't mean to do it" Harry insisted "I ate the last cupcake only I didn't know it was the last cupcake and then Dudley got really mad and started chasing me all around the house and then…"

"Where did you get that bruise Harry?" Jennifer interrupted, now that his appearance had had a moment to sink in.

"Dudley gave it to me" Harry said looking down, so far he hadn't really made eye contact with either of them "When he caught me and he broke my glasses"  
He looked up at Michael earnestly "I'm really sorry I know you went to all sorts of trouble to get me them"  
"That's ok Harry" Michael said "Just tell us what happened next"

"He was calling me four eyes again and I was really mad because he'd just broken my glasses so I wanted to break something of his to hurt him as badly" Harry looked up at the Halfpennys begging them to understand. Jennifer felt dread rising up, had he smashed the Dursley's television set? "So I could see the TV from the hall and I stared at it really wishing it would explode or something and then it did"

There was silence for a moment and all that could be heard was the gentle thudding of raindrops on the window pane.

"Harry, am I right in thinking you weren't actually in the same room as the television when it _exploded?_" Jennifer said slowly  
Harry nodded "I was in the hall but I could see the TV through the open door"

"Well then how can you have blown it up?"

Harry looked just as puzzled as her and Michael "I don't know but I must of. One moment I was wishing it would and then it did. And then Uncle Vernon got really mad when he noticed me in the doorway and told me I was dangerous and threw me out"

Michael and Jennifer shared looks of astonishment and horror

"He threw you out" Michael repeated

Harry looked down "He said I wasn't fit to be in civilised company and that I wasn't going to endanger his family anymore"

Jennifer suddenly had a violent urge to go round to the Dursleys and teach them the true meaning of endangerment. This urge was soon squelched by Harry's next question.

"Am I dangerous?" Harry asked half terrified

Jennifer's heart melted at the half drowned little boy sitting on her sofa almost swallowed by his enormous clothes, she had never seen a less dangerous sight.

"Of course not; Harry you didn't make the television explode, you are just an ordinary little boy" she reassured him

"Really?"

"Harry I pride myself on knowing a bit about science and being something of an expert on the human eye" Michael said with an air of authority "And whilst the eyes can do remarkable things they cannot blow up televisions at will"

Harry sagged with relief.  
"It was probably faulty wiring" Jennifer concluded

Michael and Jennifer made an unspoken agreement that Harry would stay the night and Michael got some tape from a side drawer and was able to fix his glasses.

"We better get you into some dry clothes, before you catch pneumonia" Jennifer said assessing her pupil. She took Harry up to one of the spare guestrooms and gave him a towel to dry off as she went in search of something suitable for him to wear.

"Sorry" she apologised bringing him a pair of Michael's old pyjamas he hadn't worn since university "I'm afraid we don't really have anything in your size but the top should make for an ok nightshirt"

Harry thanked her anyway and sure enough the old pyjama top fell down almost to the boy's ankles. Jennifer took his wet clothes down and hung them up on the clothes horse before bringing Harry a hot chocolate.

"Thank you" Harry said eagerly sipping the hot beverage. Colour was returning to his cheeks and he had now stopped shivering

"You can come with me to school tomorrow morning" Jennifer said as she prepared the bed "I'm sure there's an old uniform lying about in lost property. I'm sorry I bet you're sick of wearing second hand clothes"

"I don't mind" Harry said "Thank you for letting me stay here"  
Jennifer chuckled "We were hardly going to turn you away Harry you know you can always come to me or Michael if you're in need"  
Harry smiled looking grateful.

Jennifer finished changing the sheets "Best get some sleep now, tomorrow's going to be a strange day"  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked perplexed getting up from the desk chair where he was sitting

"Never you mind, just concentrate on getting some sleep"

Harry walked over to the bed and looked at it warily. He looked up and Jennifer, then at the bed and then back at the Jennifer.

Jennifer chuckled curiously "What are you waiting for? Get in."

Harry appeared to be thinking very hard "Won't I fall off?" he said after a pause

Jennifer drew her eyebrows in confusion "What are you talking about? Of course you won't fall off, you don't fall off your bed at home do you?"

Harry suddenly broke eye contact with her and looked down at his feet guiltily.

"Harry" Jennifer prodded not liking where this was going "Do you sleep in a cot or something at home?"

Harry stared down at his feet and mumbled something like "No not exactly"

"Harry, where do you sleep at home?" Jennifer demanded

He remained silent

"_Harry"_

Harry murmured something incomprehensible and Jennifer knelt down to his eye level staring at him until he repeated in a small voice "In a cupboard under the stairs"

Silence echoed through the small guest bedroom at this statement and all that could be heard was the soft patter of raindrops and Michael's muffled voice from downstairs as he spoke with the Dursleys over the telephone. The horror she quickly felt however must have shown on her face as Harry quickly carried on "Please don't tell anyone, I wasn't supposed to say. It's not bad, not really I can take anything the Dursleys can dish out at me"

The boy was talking as though he was in some state of prolonged warfare with the rest of his family.  
"Wha…Why don't you share a room with Dudley?" she spluttered

"Well Dudley doesn't really have a lot of room in his room with all his stuff, that's why he had to get a second bedroom"

"_Second bedroom_" Jennifer repeated her eyes widening her voice getting higher "The Dursleys have a spare bedroom and you're sleeping in the cupboard"  
"Well actually they have two" muttered Harry and noticing his teacher's face quickly added "Please don't tell, I don't want anyone to know. I can handle it I'm not a weakling"

Jennifer stood up and took several large breaths to calm herself, anger at the Dursleys was quickly overtaking her and she didn't want to frighten Harry.

"Harry you are a child surely you can understand that you shouldn't be sleeping in a cupboard whilst your guardians have two spare bedrooms?" she explained

"But it's not as if I can change their minds" Harry said before drawing himself up, a rather difficult feat for such a small boy in such a large night shirt "And besides I can take care of myself"

Jennifer sighed "But you shouldn't have to, that's the point"

The two stared at each other for a moment "It getting late" Jennifer sighed "You should get to bed we'll sort this all out in the morning"

Harry reluctantly got into the large bed after Jennifer reassured him he wouldn't fall off. She tucked him in and gave him a soft peck on the forehead before turning on the light.

As she left the room she heard a soft murmur of "I wished I lived here"

"…a good day to you too sir" Michael shouted slamming down the phone as Jennifer came down the stairs "Of all the nerve, you know they actually seem to believe that Harry blew up the television. Absolute lunatics"

Michael took a deep breath to calm down, he normally prided himself on being a rational reasonable man but something about those Dursleys and the way they behaved to Harry threw all that out the window.  
"Well I've let them know he's staying the night at any rate. Did he get off to bed alright?"

Jennifer nodded "Michael he sleeps in the cupboard"

Michael looked as dumbfounded as she did when she first heard "What?"

"They have four bedrooms in total in that house and they make Harry sleep in the cupboard under the stairs"

"But, but that's barbaric"

"I know" Jennifer agreed, the weight of the evening was at last coming down on her and she sat down on the bottom step. Michael sat down next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder

"What do we do?" he said quietly

"The only thing we can" Jennifer answered "I'll take him into school tomorrow and tell the Headmistress to contact Social Services. Whatever they decide I know one thing for certain, he is not going back in that house."

**Please review, thank you**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jennifer took Harry to school early the next morning and after digging an old uniform out of the lost property box left him to change while she went to talk to the Headmistress.

"Are you quite sure about this Jennifer?" Headmistress Roemmele warned "These situations can get quite ugly even if you have your facts straight, reputations can be ruined irreparably"  
Jennifer wasn't sure if she was talking about her own reputation or the Dursley's.

"I've never been more certain in my life. Even if Harry was lying about the cupboard and I'm sure he wasn't…" Mrs Roemmele had seemed sceptical about that part but Jennifer knew Harry would never lie to her, he might withhold facts from her sometimes but everything he said was the truth "…there's still the indisputable fact that they threw him out at nine o'clock at night in the middle of a storm and I'm certain he's being underfed"

Mrs Roemmele pursed her lips "Hmm we do have a responsibility if there is sufficient suspicion and there does seem to be that"

Jennifer nodded vigorously.

"Very well I'll contact social services this morning it shouldn't take them too long to get back to us. In the meantime Potter will have to go back to the Dursleys as usual"

"You can't be serious" Jennifer said incredulously

"We have to play this by the book Jennifer" Roemmele said seriously clasping her hands in front of her on the desk "I know you've grown fond of the boy but you need to be seen as objective otherwise your evidence and the reputation of this school could be compromised"

Jennifer agreed reluctantly and went back to her classroom to explain to Harry, who was occupying himself with watching the fish tank, what was going on.

"You'll have to go back to the Dursleys for a little while at least" Jennifer told him "But there are going to be some people who will come and talk with you over the next few days to see how the Dursleys are treating you and it's very important that you tell them the truth. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded "Are they going to take me away from the Dursleys?"

"I don't know Harry" Jennifer answered honestly "But from now on things are going to be different, they are going to be better. I promise."

"I won't end up in an orphanage will I?" Harry asked worriedly

"I'm not sure what's going to happen. If the choice came between a Children's Home and the Dursleys which would you choose?"  
"Children's Home" Harry said instantly "Can't I just come and stay with you"

Jennifer's heart melted "I'd like that but unfortunately it's a bit more complicated than that Harry but I promise I'll always be there for you"

It was the hardest thing Jennifer had ever had to do watching Harry leave with Mrs Dursley that afternoon at half past three but the rational part of her knew the Roemmele was right, they had to do this by the book. When she went home that night she explained to Michael what had happened, he likewise was annoyed at all the red tape but understood nevertheless.

The school heard nothing from social services until Thursday afternoon. Jennifer's class were making Pharaoh Masks and instead of supervising the dangerous combinations of glue, scissors and paint she was pondering Harry's words from Monday morning.

If Harry was taken from the Dursleys could she take him in as her own? She knew Michael would be perfectly agreeable he had come to care for the boy almost as much as her and his mother would be over the moon; she had been pestering the couple for months with hints of grandchildren. They could redecorate the back room with the large window that lit up in the mornings, Michael could teach him cricket and she could practice her baking a bit more to feed him up. They could buy him clothes that fit and he could help Michael with those model ships of his, he had seemed to enjoy that.

But then it might not be that simple, maybe he had other family who would take him away. She remembered Harry mentioning an Aunt Marge but Harry didn't seem to like her that much. He had told her that Mrs Dursley was his mother's sister but what about his father's family, the Potters; maybe one of them would want to raise him.

Jennifer's eyes drifted around the classroom lazily when she saw a very strange sight. There was a rather odd looking elderly man peering through her classroom door window surveying the class and if Jennifer wasn't very much mistaken he seemed to be looking at Harry in particular. Jennifer walked over to open the door slightly to see what he wanted.

"Excuse me can I help you?"  
The man was even more odd up close he wore a plush purple velvet suit, purple velvet bowler hat and lime green tie. He was very tall and had long silver hair and beard that reached to his waist. Atop of a broken nose rested half-moon spectacles that covered twinkling electric blue eyes. He was carrying a lime green umbrella and a tattered brown suitcase.

"Mrs Jennifer Anne Halfpenny"  
Jennifer nodded curious as to how he knew her middle name let alone the rest

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Albus Dumbledore from social services" He stuck out his hand for Jennifer to shake before crooking his neck once more to stare at Harry "Am I to gather that that is Harry Potter?" pointing over to the black haired boy sitting on his own by the window

"Um yes" Jennifer replied thinking social services seemed a lot less by the rules than Headmistress Roemmele had previously painted "How did you know?"

"Intuition" He said with a mysterious smile "Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Yes of course" Jennifer said relived after the few days of waiting "The bell for playtime should ring any minute, we can use my classroom"

She showed him to a chair in the hallway where he could wait and went back into the classroom. As predicted in a few minutes the bell rang and the class filed out excitedly for afternoon play.

"Please put lids on the paints before you leave" Jennifer called as the class ran out, when the room was empty Mr Dumbledore hovered in the doorway.

He lightly tapped on the door "Is it ok to come in now?"

"Of course" Jennifer said enthusiastically pulling out the chair from her desk "You can sit here, as you can see I don't really get many adult visitors"

Dumbledore chuckled and Jennifer took one of the smaller chairs.

"I'm so glad you're here" she said breathlessly "It's been a few days since the Headmistress contacted you and I must admit I was getting worried"

"I can't apologise enough for that Mrs Halfpenny" Dumbledore said warmly "I'll hope you'll appreciate we have a lot on our plate at the moment"

"Oh of course" Jennifer reflected that he had an oddly jovial disposition for a social worker. She had always imagined they would be more morose, weighed down by the suffering they came across in their work but maybe these were the exact qualities you needed to do the job for so long.

Dumbledore was now reaching into his inside pockets and brought out a small brown paper bag from which he took a bright yellow sweet

"Lemon Sherbet" he offered the bag to her

"Oh yes please" Jennifer said taking one "I haven't had these since I was a child"

"Oh my you have been missing out, I've been eating them since 1886"  
Jennifer nodded uncertainly smiling at his weak joke

"Shall we begin then?" Dumbledore asked producing a notebook with very funny old yellow paper and an old fashioned fountain pen from his bag "Please start from the beginning and tell me all about Harry Potter"

And so Jennifer told him, she described how he had started her class in September reading very poorly and how his aunt and uncle had flatly refused to get him glasses when she suggested. She told him how his cousin beat him at home without censure, his second hand clothes and how she suspected he was underfed. She recalled the Christmas holidays when his aunt had left him in Marks and Spencer and not bothered to come back for him once she'd realised he was missing. She spoke of the neglect and complete disinterest the Dursleys treated him with and how Petunia Dursley would sometimes grab him roughly by the neck or arm shouting at him viciously at pick up time.

Then she told him about Sunday evening when the Dursleys had thrown him out into the storm in the middle of the night and he had told her he slept in a cupboard under the stairs. As she told her tale Dumbledore's eyes lost some of their twinkle and his expression became graver

"The unbelievable thing is that when my husband phoned them to tell them where Harry was not only did they tell him they were glad to be rid of Harry but they actually believed he had blown up the television" Jennifer finished incredulously "Can you believe it? The boy was in the hallway and for faulty wiring they throw him out into the storm to get pneumonia"

"Stranger things have happened" Dumbledore answered and Jennifer wondered fleetingly if he was referring to Harry blowing up the television or the Dursleys believing he had "Your husband, this would be Michael Joseph Halfpenny would it not?"

Jennifer nodded

"Oh yes I spoke with him earlier"

"You did?" Jennifer asked surprised, she was not aware that that would be necessary.  
"It's always good to get a thorough assessment of the situation and I did enjoy his display of spectacles" Dumbledore said smiling "There isn't much of a choice where I'm from so I thought I'd indulge in some star shaped ones"

"Oh ok" Jennifer wasn't really sure how to respond "So what will happen now?"

"Well I will speak to the Dursleys about their treatment of Harry you can be sure of that" Dumbledore said seriously

"And Harry, what do you think might happen to him. Will he be given to foster care or does he have other relatives?"

"It's a bit early to say" Dumbledore looked at her "I see you care for the boy"

Jennifer chastised herself remembering too late Mrs Roemmele's insistence that she show objectivity "He's one of my pupils" she said defensively "I have a responsibility to make sure he's safe"

"I understand" Dumbledore said smiling and for some bizarre reason Jennifer felt as though he did "I hear he's been spending most Saturday afternoons with you and your husband as well as last Sunday night"  
"You have?" Maybe Michael had told him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if your house had become a home away from home to Harry" Dumbledore said and suddenly he seemed almost worried which was strange for someone who had so far exuded nothing but confidence "In fact I imagine he would quite like to live with you permanently"

Jennifer did not know what to say

"I am glad that Harry has known human kindness in his young life" Dumbledore said almost wistfully "But I am afraid for his own good I cannot allow him to leave the Dursleys home"

"Excuse me" Jennifer said dumbfounded "Haven't you listened to anything I have just said, it's for his own good he has to leave"

Dumbledore gave her a sad smile "I am afraid he will almost certainly be killed if he leaves his aunt's house and her blood protection, but not to worry I promise you I will have a word with Petunia"

"I beg your pardon" Jennifer said. Clearly the man was mad, she should have realised immediately from the purple velvet suit and children's sweets "This is a child's welfare we are talking about it is nothing to be joked about"

"Oh I quite agree which is why before you convince the Headmistress to call for my superiors…" This was getting stranger by the moment, how on earth had he known she was just thinking that "…I would urge you to wait here for one moment for Harry's own protection."

Jennifer felt conflicted she knew the right thing would be to go to the Headmistress and get the madman out of the school but something in his twinkling blue eyes made her hesitate.

He reached into his inside pocket and pulled not sweets but a long thin stick of intricately crafted wand which he then pointed at Jennifer. There was a brief moment when every instinct in her body told her to run but before she could listen to them Dumbledore whispered "_Obliviate"_

A warm cloud of emptiness floated over Jennifer and she felt completely at peace. Every burden, every thought, idea and memory she had ever had was lifted from her as though they floated up over her head just out of reach. It was as though she was drifting in a gentle sea of nothingness. A deep kind voice from far away was speaking to her, telling her what she needed to know.

"_You do not care for Harry Potter, he is a pupil like any other…"_

Who was Harry Potter, oh yes he was one of her students.

"_You know nothing of him except for his school marks…"_

Potter was slightly above average but nothing special.

"_The Dursleys are kind, respectable guardians who take good care of their nephew…"_

Mrs Dursley was so helpful baking a carrot cake for the Christmas Fair

"_You have no reason to suspect anything less"_

Who would suspect the Dursleys of anything untoward?

"_You have grown tired of teaching in the Home Counties, when you receive an offer next week to teach in East London you will not hesitate to take the chance to make a difference…"_

Yes that sounded right. It would be good to put a few miles between her and Michael and the in-laws and she had got into teaching to make a difference.

Playtime ended and Class 4G filed morosely back into the classroom wishing they could continue frolicking on the playing fields in the warm early summer sun.

Jennifer saw Harry Potter come up to her desk out of the corner of her eye and was startled as he held out some sunflower seeds in his palm.

"Is it alright if I come over after school Mrs Halfpenny, I thought you might like to plant sunflowers in your back garden"

Maybe old Hardcastle was right and the boy did have behavioural problems, she stared at him incredulously and his smiled slipped a little.

"I don't think that would be appropriate Potter" she said trying to sound kind "Please take your seat and finish your pharaoh mask"

He looked strangely bereft at her statement and when he asked after school if he was still going home with the Dursleys Jennifer thought he might cry after she said "Of course why ever not? You're lucky to have such kind caring people looking after you"

What a strange boy.

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews please let me know what you think of this chapter. There is one more chapter left to go.**


	4. Epilogue

June 1997

Jennifer Halfpenny got a great deal of satisfaction in teaching Year 6 at Green Meadows Primary School in East London. Most of the children that came to her came from underprivileged backgrounds but she liked to think she taught them enough to get a good start on life before they headed off to secondary school. The head certainly seemed pleased with her class's exam results and she was very proud of this year's production of _Oliver_ _Twist _which she had directed with her one of her colleagues Rachel Goldsmith.

She was very thankful for her life at home as well; she had a loving husband Michael who had just opened his own optician's practice nearby and two beautiful children. Eight year old Abigail who was born not long after they had moved to Hackney enjoyed building model ships with her father and five year old Jack who ran them both ragged getting up to all sorts of mischief.

Yes she much preferred life here to nine years ago when she had worked for a year at St Grogory's Primary School in Surrey. Not that she would ever tell Michael but there her in-laws had been a bit too close for comfort and looking back she felt as though the work was empty as though it was missing something important.

One Saturday evening she had just finished tucking Jack in when glancing out the window to the street below she noticed something rather peculiar. There was a large bald black man with a singular gold earring and strange emerald clothes holding a wooden stick up at her house chanting something indecipherable. Jennifer strained her eyes it almost looked as though the man's stick was emitting clear blue waves of light.

She then noticed a teenage boy with messy black hair standing nearby staring straight back at her through round rimmed glasses and bright green eyes. Most of her neighbours would have become quite nervous or called the police if they had noticed two strange men hanging around outside their house but Jennifer couldn't shake the feeling that they were not here to rob or hurt, in fact the teenager seemed strangely familiar.

Going downstairs she went outside to greet the strangers, the large man ignored her and carried on muttering in what sounded like a foreign language however the teenager broke into a small smile and came over to her.

"Hi I know you don't remember me but I'm Harry Potter" he told her

"Jennifer Halfpenny" Jennifer introduced herself "Do I know you? You seem strangely familiar"

"I do" the boy seemed pleased "You taught me for a year at St Grogory's"

Jennifer looked at him oddly it was always strange to meet pupils all grown up and she had a peculiar feeling she knew this boy she just couldn't quite access the memory.

"It's odd" Potter continued "I know why you had to forget me but I wish you hadn't"

"I'm sorry I've taught a lot of children" Jennifer apologised "Sometimes names and faces blur… um what exactly are you doing?

She nodded towards the muttering man

"Oh boy I'm not really sure how to explain this" Potter said scratching the back of his head "This is Kingsley Shacklebolt and I know it sounds weird but the outside world is getting dangerous and he's protecting your house and you and Mr Halfpenny"

It did sound weird but something was telling Jennifer that it was ok "Is this some kind of religious thing?"

Potter shrugged "Sort of. I'd do it myself but I'm not old enough"

Jennifer drew her eyebrows in confusion

"I'm…well I'm about to attempt this task that seems almost impossible and I don't know if I'll make it back alive so I just wanted to say thank you" Potter said earnestly "You really were a good…teacher and I'll always be grateful"

"OK" Jennifer said smiling uncertainly

Kingsley Shacklebolt finished his muttering and turned to Potter and Jennifer "I have finished, congratulations you now have the safest house in the East end"

"That's err…good"

"I guess we should get going then" Potter said stepping backwards before giving an awkward wave "Goodbye Mrs Halfpenny"

"Goodbye Harry Potter"

She watched the two men walk down the lamppost lit street until they were so far in the distance they seemed to disappear completely. Jennifer walked back into the house and even though it didn't make any sense she felt safer than she ever had before.

The End

**Thank you for all your reviews so far. Please let me know what you think of the epilogue and the story over all.**


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